Mary Jane Turner

Mary Jane Turner is a new student whose outspoken wit draws Arvin Russell to her and whose departure becomes a painful loss for him. Their relationship is brief, but its schoolyard defiance, physical intimacy, and difficult farewell give it a vivid place in Arvin’s memories.

Introduction at School

Mary Jane is a redheaded girl whose father returns to Coal Creek after fifteen years in the merchant marine. He has come back to claim the run-down hillside farm inherited from his grandfather. At school, she sits with Arvin, and her readiness to curse like a sailor appeals to him, particularly when they are making out.

When Gene Dinwoodie confronts Arvin in the cafeteria, Mary Jane does not stay silent. Gene challenges Arvin and insults his sister while threatening to take Mary Jane for a ride; he expects Arvin to jump up and fight. Instead, Arvin closes his eyes and joins his hands in prayer. Mary Jane glares at Gene and tells him, “Leave us alone, you dumb prick,” while Arvin smiles. Her blunt intervention contrasts with Gene’s attempt to provoke a physical response, and the scene shows her openly taking Arvin’s side.

Relationship with Arvin

Arvin pursues Mary Jane from their first date, and their courtship includes making out. He wants the relationship to become sexual, but she does not let him into her pants. Looking back after she has left, he is glad she held that boundary: saying goodbye was hard enough without the added weight of a deeper intimacy he would then have to lose.

The farewell makes the difference between their easy teasing and their separation plain. The night before she leaves, Arvin stands with her at her front door and asks, “Please,” but she is leaving with her family. She smiles, rises onto her tiptoes, and whispers dirty words in his ear one last time. Her familiar irreverence survives to the end of their courtship, even as the goodbye makes clear that their time together is over.

Departure and Aftermath

Mary Jane’s father decides that life in the merchant marine is easier than plowing rocky ground and worrying over the rain. On the Sunday morning before the farewell, he packs up the family and heads for Baltimore and a new ship. The move takes Mary Jane out of Arvin’s life without any indication that the relationship has ended through a quarrel; distance, rather than conflict between the two, closes it.

By the following week, Arvin is still thinking about her and feels low enough to want to get thoroughly drunk. His memories preserve both the attraction that began at school and the restraint that shaped their parting. Mary Jane’s brief appearance therefore marks a modest but concrete emotional loss: Arvin cannot keep her, and the memory remains with him after she is gone.